chordae tendineae (right heart, anatomy)
Last reviewed 01/2018
The chordae tendineae of the right heart have been classified into the following groups:
- fan-shaped: single chordae stem diverges directly from the papillary muscle to form a number of fine chordae which attach to the edges of the commisures between the leaflets
- rough zone: the main stem of the chordae divides into three from the papillary muscle to insert into:
- the edge of the free margin of the leaflet
- the inner limit of the roughened suface on the ventricular side of a given leaflet
- a point between the preceeding attachments
- free edge: single chordae arising from either end of a papillary muscle and inserting roughly into the mid-point of a given leaflet
- deep:
- do not diverge until very close to the valve leaflet
- insert into rough zone or area slighly nearer the annulus on the ventricular surface of each leaflet - the clear zone
- basal:
- extremely variable shape
- insert into the basal part of the ventricular surface of the leaflet